EwasoLionsQuarterlyReportJul toSeptember2019
MainFeature:NaramatreturnstoWestgate
After an absence of over a year, Naramat returned
toWestgateinAugust.ShehasbeenlivinginIlNgwesiformostof 2019 and
after travelling through the southernconservancies for 2 days, was
sighted in
Westgate’sConservationArea.Naramathasarrivedwith35-montholdfemale
cubs and is mainly seen within the
ConservationArea.Westgatemanagementandallpartnersareworkinghard to
ensure Naramat experiences no disturbance andlivestock encroachment
is controlled. Her return toWestgate has been cause for great
celebration for thecommunityandallpartners.
KeyHighlightsfromthisQuarter
•
WorldLionDay:OurteamcelebratedWorldLionDayonAugust10thinNaisunyaivillage.OurteamandthecommunitycelebratedlionsbyplayingouruniqueConservationGameandspeakingabout
lionconservationintheregion.
• National Lion Survey: Ou team, led by Toby and Jeneria, was
trained by KWSconsultants on supporting theNational Lion
Surveywhich started in southern Kenya in 2018.Four EwasoLions
teamsareworkingwithKWSandpartners inSamburuand Isioloon
thesurvey,whichstarted in earlySeptemberandwill
continueuntiltheendofNovember.On thefirstdayof thesurvey, lions,
cheetahsandleopardswereseen!InSeptemberalone,ourteamhashad38lionsightings.
•
AETtraining:EwasoLionspartneredwiththeAfricaEducationalTrust(AET).AEThaveextensiveexperience
running education programmes for adult learners in Africa,
including otherMaa-speaking pastoralist communities. They adopt the
REFLECTmethodology, whichrecognizes that
adultlearnerslearnbetteriftaughtwhattheydeemimportantandusefultotheirlives.InJuly,our
teamwas trained bytheAET team, creatinga customized
curriculum.Thiswill not only enhance
literacy,butalsoempowerparticipantsinotheraspectsoftheirlives.
•
MorelionsinWestgate:Afteraperiodofoverayear,severallionsreturnedtoWestgateinAugust.ThisincludedNapirai’scubs.Thecommunitywasexcitedtohavethem,asculturallytheysignalrainwillfall,andtruetothis,attheheightoflionpresenceintheconservancy,theheavensopenedattheendofAugustanditrainedunseasonablyforaweek.
• Conflict Training: Ben and Thomas travelled to Arusha in
September to attend theCenter for
ConservationPeacebuildingtraining(thankstosupportfromWCN).Theobjectivesofthetraining
was to improve the ability of teams to better understand conflict
dynamicsand establish more effectivewaysinaddressingthem.
• HumaneDogPopulationManagement Conference:Weattended
thisconferencehostedbythe Kenya Veterinary Association and the
International Companion Animal ManagementCoalition
(ICAM)tolearnaboutbestpractices
insettingupdogpopulationmanagementcampaigns. Ewaso
Lionswithpartnersand the local CountyGovernment hope to embark on
acampaign in January
2020tosupportKenya’sNationalRabiesEliminationStrategy.Staytunedforfurtherupdates.
•
MamaSimbahopetohelpbringgrassback:EwasoLionswashappytowelcomePeterLalampaafromtheGrevy’sZebraTrusttospeaktotheMamasaboutrestorationofWestgate,aftertheladies
held a meetingwhere they expressed theneed to bring prey back
toWestgate so thatlions could
thrive.Petergaveacompellingpresentation,encouragingtheladiestojoinongoingeffortstorestore
Westgate for lions, people and livestock. We look forward to
supportingour partners on their
http://ewasolions.org/wildlife-gaming-brought-to-life-the-conservation-game/www.ewasolions.org
amazingefforts.• Kenya Buzz Interview: Jeneria, our Director
forCommunity Conservation,was featured in an
articleonKenyaBuzz.Clickheretoreadhisinterview•
PrideMeetingandPathways:ShivanijoinedotherPridemembersinJulyinBrackenhurst,Limuru,
to discuss next years Pathways Human Dimensions conference.
Pride are co-hosts ofthis
conference;themeis“OpeningtheDoortoDiverseVoices”.Preparationsarewellunderwayforthis
conferencewhichbeginswithatrainingspecificallyforwomeninconservation.Moreinformation
onthisconferenceandregistrationdetailscanbefoundatthislink.
•
Wehaveanewwebsite!Pleasevisitournewwebsitewhichhasafreshlookwithnewupdates.•
SarahinAmerica:SarahChiles,ourLandscapeInfrastructureAdvisortogetherwiththeGrevy’s
Zebra Trust (GZT), attended the International Conference on
Ecology andTransportation
conferenceinCalifornia.SarahwasjoinedbyWalterOchiengfromtheKenyaWildlifeServicewho
leadsinfrastructureeffortsandadvisesinternallyongreenandgreyinfrastructureintegration.EL
andGZTfundedhisparticipationinourcontinuedeffortstobuildcapacityinKenyatoameliorate
infrastructureandbiodiversityconsolidation.Theconferencewasattendedby580peoplefrom19
differentcountries,andthiswasthefirsttimethatKenyawasrepresentedatthisconference.Sarah
alsogaveapresentationoneffortstomitigatetheimpactsofseveralprojectsundertheLamuPort
SouthSudanEthiopiaTransportCorridor.
•
NationalGeographicarticle:SamburuandIsiolo’ssurprisinglysolitarylionshavebeenfeaturedinNationalGeographic.Readmorehere.
• CountyWorkshoponRabies&Distemper:Togetherwithourpartnersat
theDaktariWildlifeFoundation, we organized a workshop in Nanyuki in
July to discuss rabies anddistemper
management.WediscussedhowbestwecanlearnfromourLaikipianeighboursandwhatefforts
wecanmakeinbothSamburuandIsioloCounties.Wildlifeanddomesticanimalveterinarians(both
private and county), conservationists, health officers and
individualsworking on domestic dog welfareattendedthemeeting.
Outcomes fromthemeetinghave ledtoplans fora January2020
domesticdogwelfarecampaign–staytunedforfurtherinformation.
SpecialFeature:UniversitySymposium
In September, we held our first ever
UniversitySymposiumonWildlifeConservationwithafocusonCarnivoreCoexistence.Weareverygratefultothe
KenyaWildlife Trust andUvumbuzi for theirsupport towards this
event. The eventhosted
attheUniversityofNairobiwasattendedbyover250universitystudentsfrommorethan8universities,some
from as far as Eldoret, Mombasa
andMachakos,andwasanhonestconversationaboutdifferent aspects of
conservation andsustainability. The event not only drew
studentstakingcoursesinenvironmentalsciences,butalsoarchitecture,
construction
management,mathematicsamongamyriadofothers,callingforaninterdisciplinaryapproachtoconservation.HavingseentheneedformoreKenyanstofeelownershipoverlionsandconservationefforts,EwasoLionswillcontinueineffortstohavenationallevelconservationdiscussions.
EwasoLionsP.O.Box14996,Nairobi00800,Kenya
[email protected],InstagramandTwitter|www.ewasolions.org
https://www.kenyabuzz.com/lifestyle/jeneria-lekilelei-the-lion-warrior/?fbclid=IwAR34pui85RtU5lUErLjhAfQIkQ4ChGvRaAN7fWBkmAPoBVh0GFcRSGlpTHMhttps://sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu/pathways-africa/http://ewasolions.orghttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/08/solitary-lions-kenya-samburu/https://www.facebook.com/ewasolionshttps://www.instagram.com/ewasolions/https://twitter.com/EwasoLions
